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An NHS doctor who had a sexual encounter with a prostitute at a maternity hospital faces being struck off after medical watchdogs branded him a risk to patients.

Trainee anesthatist Dr Rupert Pemsel, 32, had sex with the woman in a side room after texting her before he started work saying: "This is naughty on my part so discretion would really be appreciated."

After the liaison in December 2013 at the Princess Anne Hospital in Southampton the married father of one - whose wife is a GP - was subsequently blackmailed by associates of the escort who demanded £10,000 warning they would reveal details of his 40 minute dangerous liaison to his wife and NHS officials if he didn't pay up.

Pemsel called police who set up a sting operation in a hotel to catch the blackmailers but during a pep-talk, he inexplicably showed detectives an intimate radiograph picture of an unnamed patient on his mobile phone.

The two officers arrested the blackmailers after catching them red handed - but then referred the illicit photograph to a senor colleague who reported it to Pemsel's bosses at University Hospital Southampton NHS Foundation Trust.

He claimed he had met the escort due to "stressors" in his life including being involved in two road accidents which left him "shocked and upset" and also witnessing neonatal deaths during a visit to Uganda with medical colleagues. He further claimed the "stressors" had led him to view internet pornography.

"The Tribunal cannot comprehend why you thought it was acceptable to invite an escort to meet you at the hospital where you were working and to take her to an on-call room to engage in sexual activity. The Tribunal is in no doubt that such behaviour is deplorable and morally reprehensible and that it constitutes serious misconduct."

Lisa Smith, tribunal chairman

But tribunal chairman Lisa Smith told Pemsel: "This sort of behaviour is completely outside the expectation that the public should rightly have in terms of how a registered medical practitioner should behave.

"The Tribunal cannot comprehend why you thought it was acceptable to invite an escort to meet you at the hospital where you were working and to take her to an on-call room to engage in sexual activity. The Tribunal is in no doubt that such behaviour is deplorable and morally reprehensible and that it constitutes serious misconduct."

She added: "The Tribunal considers you have demonstrated little insight into your behaviour in respect of the adverse impact it may have on public confidence in the profession and the reputation of the medical profession.

"For example, during your oral evidence you were questioned as to the impact your conduct may have had on whether your conduct had brought the profession into disrepute and you were unable to articulate a satisfactory response.

"The Tribunal accepts that you have expressed regret and remorse for your inappropriate and unprofessional behaviour. However, the Tribunal has heard of the stressors in your life which culminated in your seeking the services of an escort and arranging to bring her to your place of work. It has also noted that you have previously accessed internet pornography which led to your contacting an escort agency.

"The Tribunal is not confident that you have fully considered how future stressors may affect your behaviour. It notes with concern that you have only stopped using pornography in the last 6 - 8 months, despite the problems your use of pornography brought you back in 2013.

"The Tribunal is not satisfied that this aspect of your misconduct has been fully remedied and that you are not at risk of future misconduct. It is satisfied that you have presented a risk to patients, you have brought the profession into disrepute and that you have breached fundamental tenets of the profession."

Pemsel had been been highly respected amongst colleagues and patients for helping raise money for Hampshire and Isle of Wight air ambulance and for his voluntary work helping the poor and sick in the Gambia. But he was caught on CCTV walking ahead of the prostitute into one of the on-call bedrooms rooms at the hospital whilst he was still dressed in his work scrubs.

In the run up to the encounter, Pemsel had texted the woman at 6.30pm before he started work saying "this is naughty on my part so discretion would really be appreciated'.

Later at 8.07pm - just seven minutes after he started his shift he sent another text saying: 'If there's an emergency and I have to go I'll give you the money and its up to you whether you wait for the emergency to finish. Likewise, if an emergency happens before you get here, I'll come out and give you the money.'"

The hearing was told the blackmailers later made contact with the doctor and two police sergeants were assigned to mount a sting operation at a hotel on January 6 2014. The officers spent ten hours with Pemsel during which they helped him exchanged texts with the blackmailers. But during a conversation with the officers an X ray picture of a unknown patient with a bottle in his rectum.

Pemsel told the hearing he had met the escort at the entrance to the hospital but said he did have his bleep with him so could respond to an emergency "within five minutes." He changed jobs in August 2014 and moved to a different hospital. He will learn his fate next week.

The hearing was told two people were arrested and pleaded guilty to blackmail back in 2014 and were sentenced to periods of imprisonment.